The article “Partisan redistricting that’s sweeping the country is unlikely to arrive here” (Aug. 16, A1) gives a clear explanation why Washington is unlikely to follow the hasty, brazen, mid-decade gerrymandering efforts currently underway in Texas. It also reminds us that our congressional district lines are among the fairest, most equitably drawn in the country.
Unfortunately, single-seat legislative districts and winner-take-all elections, both widely accepted nationwide, make gerrymandering especially easy. They also result in elected representation that poorly reflects differing voter perspectives. In single-seat districts, voters of the winners are guaranteed 100% of the representation, all other voters — often almost half, occasionally even more — none.
Even with two-seat districts — as with our Washington state House — one party almost always has both seats, the other party none. (Of Washington’s 49 districts only one currently has a House member from each party.)
The Fair Representation Act was reintroduced in Congress in July. Its main provisions are independent redistricting commissions (not state legislatures), larger multi-seat districts, multi-winner legislative elections and ranked-choice voting. These reforms would make gerrymandering almost impossible. It’s reforms like these, not Texas, that deserve our serious attention and continuing efforts.
John Whitmer, Bellingham
